The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-02-16

because he would not give recognition |
to some Democratic member Of Congress
to enable him ito move to suspend the
rules for the purpose of giving the
House an opportunity of considering
the question of the total repeal of the
internal revenue tax on tobacco"
This motion was to have been made
Monday, the 7th inst.-t'the latest day
such a motion to be effective under the
rules would be in order during the
Forty-ninth Congress" Mr. Carlisle
granted their request, as we learn from
published letter addressed to him and
signed by Messrs Henderson, George d.
Wise and Randall. So that the gentle
men who proposed to put those who CO..
operated with Mr.. Morrison to the
blush, and to startle the country with
the wisdom of their scheme for tariff
reduction, waited until almost the last
moment and then proposed the total re-
peal of the tax on tobacco.
Why repeal the tax on tobacco? Be
cause it is an agricultural industry
which is suffering and languishing from
the imposition of the tax? No. Be
cause tobacco is necessity and the tax
is "crushingp No. Why, then? Be
cause it is a war tax and the Dem oerat-
ic party has declared in favor of the alb
clifton of war taxes.
1t might be sufficient to reply that
while the platform of the party does
allude to the internal taxes as war taxes
it does not demand their repeal. On
the contrary it devotes the income from
them to the payment of obligations
growing out of the war.
But it is scarcely to be credited that
any considerable number of intelligent
persons believe that the internal taxes
are the only "war taxes" The New
York Times, in an editorial on the sub
ject, some weeks since, completely ex-
ploded that notion if anybody ever held
| it. The Times calls attention to the fact
that the taxes on whisky and tobacco
are only the remnant of an extraordina-
ry and most comprehensive system OF
internal taxation, devised during the
war to pay war expenses and almost en-
tirely swept away after the war was
ended, and that with the system of in
ternal taxation was established scheme
of taxation on imports which depended
on it, the import taxes being war taxes
as well as the internal taxes.
This is made plain by an examination
of the legislation on the subject. The
first internal revenue law was passed
July l, 1862, imposing specific taxes on
many products, such as iron, steel, pa
per, leather, etc. AID valorem taxes
were imposed on other manufactures
With this law was enacted the tariff law
of July IA. Says the Times: cit was
feared that the internal taxes would re.
move from the taxed industries the pro-
lection afforded by the existing tariff,
and the new tariff law was devised as an
Offset. Mr.. Morrill, and Mr.. Stephens
had charge of the bill in the House
Mr.. Stephens spoke as follows of the
work of the committee:
We intended to impose an additional
duty on imports equal to the tax which
had been put on the domestic articles. II
was done by way of compensation to do
nestle IN manufacturers against foreign i'm
porters.
"Mr. Morrill, referred to the commit
tees intentions in this way:
1t will be indispensable for US to revise
the tariff on foreign imports, SO far as i
may be seriously disturbed by any inter
nal duties, and to make proper reparation
II we bleed manufacturers, we m ust see tc
it that the proper tonic is administered a
the same time.
"By and by more revenue was needed
On June 80, 1864, the internal taxes
were largely increased. From to IL
per cent. was collected on every finished
product. Almost everything was taxed
Homemade pig iron paid 81 ton
homemade sugar cents pound. The
general tax on all manufactures pro
duced was per cent. 1t was decided
that taxes on imported goods should bt
raised at the same time, in order tina
the taxed manufacturers at home might
not be deprived of their market. The
new tariff was brought forward with the
internal tax bill, and passed with the
explanation that it had been devised
like the act of 1862, as an Offset for the
new internal taxes and to maintain the
existing relation between home manu-
facturers and their competitors abroad
These were war measures, and they re
quired but two days debate in the Sen
ate and three in the House.
''But this war tariff of 1864, prepared
/ and enacted to compensate for heavy
internal taxes on all kinds of manufae
lures, is the basis of our present tariff
system. On almost all of the prominent
articles rates are substantially un
J changed. The average rate on dutiablt
, goods was raised in 1862 to 81 per cent.
and in 1864, to AZ per cent. 1t is now
nearly 43 per cent Immediately after
the war the work of removing the inter
nal taxes was begun, and in 1872 all OF
them which were related to the rates Of
duty on imported goods had been abol
ished. But the war duties that had
been imposed to compensate for these
were retained, and with slight modifica-
tions the system is retained to-day"
| The proposition to repeal the tax on
tobacco, costing the people less than 90
cents per capita, and taking from them
some $2S 200, 900, which are paid into
the government treasury, for govern
ment uses, so that the protected monop-
olies may continue to extort from them
hundreds of millions for their private
pockets, did not deserve consideration
from any one-least of all from the
Democratic Speaker of the House.
A Poor Substitute.